It’s time to ‘relax’
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” guest host Anthony Anderson opened Monday’s show by joking about being in the spotlight to comment on the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump due to his previously scheduled guest hosting stint on the late-night series ABC.
“Everyone is still shocked by the tragic events at the Trump rally last Saturday,” Anderson said at the top of his monologue. “All weekend I kept thinking, ‘I wonder what Jimmy Kimmel is going to say about this on Monday?’ And then I thought, oh, I’m Jimmy Kimmel on Monday.
Anderson, the Emmy-nominated star of “Blackish” and a “Law & Order” alum, said gravely, “our thoughts are with the families of the victims.” He suggested that, in the wake of Saturday’s violence, “hopefully this will be a moment where we can all take a step back from the hate and vitriol in our politics and maybe calm down for a moment.”
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Anderson also referenced the rise in conspiracy theories about Saturday’s shooting at a Trump campaign rally by a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man that left one man dead and two seriously injured. The gunman was killed at the scene by the Secret Service, which has come under heavy scrutiny for what turned out to be a massive security breach Saturday evening in Butler, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
“If you want to stay sane during this crazy time, don’t go on the internet,” Anderson advised. “Insane conspiracies are emerging on both sides. Now you know how far-right has QAnon. Well, conspiracy theories from the far left are now called Blue-Anon. Blue-Anon, that sounds like a support group for people who give anonymous oral sex.”
Anderson also had a keen observation about media coverage of the shooting and its aftermath.
“The award for the worst article about it goes to Forbes, who retracted this stupid story: ‘Will surviving gunfire be Donald Trump’s next appeal to black voters?’ What? Getting shot at doesn’t make you popular in the black community. If it were, the most famous guy on the block would be Liam Neeson, and nobody gets shot more than that, dude. He is the Irish 50 Cent.”
Anderson wrapped up his brief monologue remarks about Trump with a note on the Republican nominee’s choice for vice presidential running mate and the former president’s high-profile adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Earlier Monday, Trump unveiled Sen. J.D. Vance from Ohio are VP selection.
“Vance has everything Trump is looking for in a running mate,” Anderson noted. ‘He’s white. He’s – well, that’s about it. He also looks like Eric and Don Jr. had a baby.”
